We heard that the traffic through Seattle is very heavy and we thought that if we left early enough we might miss the worst of it. We didn't anticipate the high volume of traffic all along the I-5 from just outside of Olympia almost right through to Oak Harbour. The traffic was moving steadily, but we were not traveling freeway speeds of 70mph, it was 30 mph. We don't know if the high volume was because of the July 4th weekend or if this is now the new normal. We pity the folks that have to make their way through this on a daily basis.
Despite the heavy traffic we did make it in pretty good time to our first port of call for the day - Trader Joe's. Which is actually the reason we have made the trip to Washington. I needed to stock my panty and cupboard with my 'must have/can't live without' ingredients: Trader Joe's Balsamic Vinegar, fantastic price ($3.69) for the best balsamic vinegar; French Soap; 21 Spice Salute Seasoning Blend; Yellowtail Chardonnay & Yellowtail Merlot ($5.99 each!); not to mention the assorted chocolat bars, German cherries and a tomato-less salsa.
A short distance away from Trader Joe's is the Seattle Premium Outlet Mall.
You cannot go to the States without stopping and shopping at an Outlet mall. They don't let you back across the border into Canada if you haven't spent your minimum alloted dollars. Ed and I did not disappoint. We were able to each find some new slacks and I managed to pick up a couple of blouses.
We were back on the road by 3pm and ready to get to our next stop, Oak Harbor. We exited the I-5 at Mt Vernon and drove toward Anacortes. As we were driving along the highway between Mt Vernon and Anacortes, we thought of our friends Mary & Norman who had just recently completed a 14 day bike and train trip to Portland. They completed their trip along the same highway, but they were on bikes. I take my hat off to the pair of them for their tenacity to fight the hills and traffic.
We made the turn off toward Oak Harbor and were rewarded with the scenery highlight of the day - Deception Pass State Park.
We arrived in Oak Harbor and checked into our accomodation for the night, the Candlewood Suites, then headed out to explore the sights of the town. Oak Harbor is home to naval air station on Whidbey Island. In one of the reviews for the hotel where we are staying they commented on the loudness of the jets doing fly-overs at 10pm. There is a sign on the door into the hotel "Jets = Jobs".
I don't hear the jets tonight, but I do hear fireworks in the distance. The 4th of July celebrations have begun.
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